[NO LONGER RELEVANT] Story of Three Storms_~*~Chapter 1—Ana~*~_

Instructions

Please note that this is a Warriors-based story, meaning there may be elements of bl00d, v10l3nc3 and d34th. If you are sensitive to any of these elements, I advise you not to read ahead. First: Already here! Previous: Alas, for there is no physical or mental way for this to be possible Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1325552716/ Space key for Thumbnail " " are cats talking * * are Ana's thoughts or if they're there while someone's talking then that's the word being emphasized ~ ~ are notes from me Chapter 1—Ana~ Wednesday, May 8th, 2026, 9:49am-7:57pm ~The time zones aren't real world time~ A bright beam of golden sunlight shone through the open window, carrying a fresh breeze with it. I blinked my eyes open. “ANA!” Someone yelled downstairs. *Mother*. I think. Ever since Father died, Mom had been depressed and snappy. When she got a new mate, Casper, she got even worse. She became cold and strict, only ever talking to her first kits when she wanted something. Now, I rose from my nest of woodchips and hay and leaves and twigs. I hopped onto the ledge by the window, where the queens’ jewelry hung. [Honestly, by the open window wasn’t the best idea, in my opinion.] I reached my paw onto the dozens of little hooks and pulled away a little gold pendant with a little letter “a” on it. I pulled it over my head onto my neck and almost fell from the ledge when another shout of “ANA! GET DOWN HERE!” rang along the walls of the barn. “Ugh,” I groaned to myself. *Embarrassing me in front of the whole colony.* I lived in a large barn on the edge of the moor and the mountains. Sometimes it got crowded, but it must have been past sun-up, because there were less cats than normal in the barn. She leaped down the ladder with ease. Mom stood next to the ladder, bristling. “You’re late for breakfast,” she hissed. “Go catch something for yourself.” She gestured to the barn door behind her. I gaze at her in shock. “But! Its—Its crop-eater day!” Mom shook her head at me in disgust. “Deal with it.” She said. And she turned away to face her newborn kits. I stomped toward the huge door and nearly ran into a slightly bigger, rust-coloured tom at the entrance. “Hey!” I growled at Bird, a family friend who made his crush on me obvious. “Watch where you’re going!” He put his paws up in innocence. “Sorry, Ana!” He said, pushing something away from my line of sight. I dragged my own paw down my face. I didn’t have to yell at him. “No, my bad. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Sorry.” Bird tilted his rust-red head at me and then, a moment later, seems to understand what I’m saying. He nods. “That’s fine. Uh, I...” He shook his head and then walked away, leaving behind what might be a very messily caught mouse. I kind of wanted to eat it; I was so hungry. But I shoved myself into the vast wheat fields. I walked through the tall stalks silently, until I reached the river. The cool water flowed over my paws as I waded in. I crossed to the other side, shook out my pelt, and sat down. I made sure to position myself where my shadow would be behind me, rather than in the water. Shapes began to flicker in and out of the water, occasionally, a salmon would leap above water, and then, as quickly as it came, it would disappear. I held my paw above the water, and as a fish-shaped shadow flew in front of me, I swept my paw in, dragging a small salmon out of the rushing water. I bit down on it, hearing a satisfying *Crack,* of fish bones, and the fish lay still. I set it down a nearby rock and got to work. As I scooped water from the river in a leaf cup, the blood on the fish faded into the water, which carried it away to who-knows-where. I picked up the fish to eat, but before I could bite in, a scream rings my ears. *That’s a kit*. I thought to myself. I get up and run towards where the howl came from, leaving the fish behind. I was tired and hungry but ran faster still. Another ear-splitting scream came from a thicket of wheat stalks, and I could see the crop-eater moving through it, devouring the crop in its path. I reached the crop-eater and saw that it was chasing after a reddish-brown kit. *That’s Bird’s brother!* I acknowledged Ollie. The little tomcat seemed to notice me and veered in my direction. The crop-eater didn’t seem to notice that its prey had escaped, but that was good. Ollie practically jumped on top of me when he reached me. “Ana, I wanna go home!” He cried. He was the only surviving kit of his mother’s second litter, so he was much younger than me, but he still constantly found ways to get into trouble. “When can I go home?” He sniffled. *The poor thing.* His question made me look around and realize that I had no idea where we were. We were so far in the fields that I couldn’t see anything over the stalks anymore. “Well, let’s start with, how did you get here?” I told him. Ollie nodded vigorously. Note from Lyrid! ~Keep reading in the notes and credits!~ ↓